ABOUT

Bringing the essence of beautiful Irish dance & music to the world through our unique method of teaching combined with the genius of technology- through DVDs, downloads and online dance programs:sharing with you the simplicity & fun of what we already love doing.

PHOTO: Nora & Martin teaching at one of the first festivals in Central Tilba, NSW in December 2006.

Testimonials

You are a fabulous teacher! Great angles and clear description.

Thank-you so much! Gina, USA

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Nora & Martin,I just wanted to drop you a quick note to tell you how much I enjoyed your workshop in Melbourne on Saturday.It's always fun to learn new sets. I enjoyed learning the half sets, as well, since we so rarely do them. You were both great at breaking down the figures and explaining them in a way that was easily understood. It was just a really fun afternoon.Thanks again, Mary Ann in Melbourne

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Hi Nora,Great weekend, thanks so much to you and Martin. Whilst my legs wouldn't move for two days, I still they enjoyed every minute of the weekend ha ha!! The workshops were very relaxing and instruction easy to follow; not too heavy. You and Martin brought a lovely relaxing atmosphere to the classes and you both interacted with everyone on a personal basis which made the weekend a tuition but also a friendship building event.

Cheers, Deirdre & Pearse

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VIDEO BELOW IS NORA & MARTIN TEACHING AT THE 3 SISTERS FESTIVAL 2012

The West Cork Plain Set Figure 1.

Hi,The dancing weekend (in Melbourne) was great – thanks to all who organised it.The guest callers – Nora and Martin – were fantastic. They spoke clearly and not too fast, with breaks in between their sentences so that the words did not all run together. They also did not do a whole lot of unnecessary commentary during the dance calls and explanations of eg how to do a particular movement. I am a bit hard of hearing these days and having chat mixed up with the calls is very confusing – by the time I try to process it all, we have moved to another figure!

The way they taught the dances was also excellent. The particular parts of the dances were explained, demonstrated, walked through and then done again and maybe a third time before doing it to music. Martin kept an eye on how the sets were performing – or not, and judged whether we were ready to go on.

***************Hi NoraThank you so very much – it was a fabulous weekend….. and the music was great on Sat evening. My calves still ache… and I can still hear the music in my head! Fiona B

***************Hi Nora and Martin,Thanks very much indeed for your Irish dance weekend at Katoomba. I thought that your workshops on Sat were very thorough (I was not able to attend on Sun) and that the dance programme, band and venue on Sat night were very good indeed. And the dance group was also very enthusiastic. Allen B

***************…and thank you guys, it was lovely to learn those dances and I enjoyed the ceili very much as well. I look forward to doing it again next Feb and hopefully see you before then. Anna C

***************Hi Nora-Thank you & Martin for a wonderful weekend of Irish set dancing in the Blue Mountains. I enjoyed every moment! Robyn N.

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Hi Nora,It's us who need to be thanking you and Martin for giving us such a great time last weekend and we missed the worst of the thunderstorms in Katoomba. It is good to be precise when learning sets so that I know the moves, steps and timing for the set as well as what differentiates sets from county to county.Thanks again for a wonderful time Andrew C.

***************Hi NoraAs someone attending such a workshop for the first time and being relatively inexperienced i felt that how you and martin taught was great, you make a very effective teaching team! for me the pacing of the teaching was just right, and i felt that both of you kept a careful eye on people to check that they were doing ok and were clear about your instructions..i also appreciated your comments directed to those more experienced than myself who may have felt the repetition was not so interesting- good to know some of the cultural background to the dances too...

i think the pacing also worked well so that people didn't get too exhausted, and had a chance to catch their breath (given the varying levels of fitness)..and to dance to slower music first then increase the speed was another good thing.. as were the posters and handouts..

the other thing i really appreciated was your reference to how to hold/make contact with others dancing..feel that could have even been repeated a little more with the explicit demonstration.. here i am speaking as someone who has joint damage in wrists and hands from r.arthritis,)

i can't think of anything you could have done better..thanks for your patience and energy, you deserve that time in a comfy chair..! Liz F.

***************Dear Nora,I meant to write earlier to thank you for the wonderful welcome and introduction to the Irish set dancing.It was a lovely weekend and we enjoyed dancing with you…We have kept up the dancing and joined a group in Canberra. We do hope to see and dance with you again some time. best wishes, C & G.Williams

***************Thanks for organising the wonderful weekend. As always, when I dance for the entire weekend I notice some of my movements are much more "fluid"(?) - its a really good feeling! perhaps in time I will be able to dance I'm thinking. A very, very big thank you for helping me get on the floor during the ...steps.... session - I couldn’t do the steps that well but it was nice to be trying. Leanne Walton

About Nora Stewart and Martin Largey

“We get great results teaching adults how to do all the basic steps, style and moves to enjoy Irish dancing”

Martin and Nora have been teaching set dancing, steps classes and sean nós workshops at festivals and weekends in NSW & the ACT since 2006. They have also organised a performance at the National Museum of Australia Ned Kelly exhibition of Not Just Ned in 2011 in front of a record crowd, performed at The Turning Wave Festival in Gungagai, local festivals in Canberra and participated in performances in Ireland & the UK. They have also organised the 3 Sisters Irish Set Dancing & Music Festival held in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains each February for the last few years. Nora has most recently choreographed a special solo dance for the new upcoming feature film The Legend of Ben Hall.

Martin has 20 years of experience learning, dancing and more recently, teaching sets and he is passionate about Irish traditional music. He brings a low, flat rhythmic style of battering steps to the sets that is hypnotic and delightful to watch. Nora has been dancing since she was five years old and ultimately got interested in Irish step-dancing. On moving to Ireland, she discovered set dancing, and she has been an addict ever since. She also is improving at sean nós dancing or old style dancing that is flat, free-style individual stepping to traditional Irish music.

Martin Largey arrived in Australia eleven years ago when he and Nora returned from living in Ireland– Martin is from Armagh city in Northern Ireland. Nora is an Australian and has lived in Canberra previously. They now live in Bywong, NSW on their 20 acre property.

In Ireland, they spent much of their time travelling Ireland learning the steps and rhythm of set dancing from dance masters and ordinary people, including Róisín & Pádraig McEneany who were Nora’s teachers for 5 years and Seamus Robinson, Mick Mulkerrins, Connie Ryan, Pat Murphy, Ger Butler, Mary Fox, Pat Prunty, Betty McCoy, Kathleen McGlynn, Brenda O’Callaghan and the incredible Timmy McCarthy!

They have seen the rise and development of set dancing in Ireland in recent years and wish to convey the fresh, contemporary and vibrant feel this style of dance can offer.